Registered Charity No. 264190

Menu

Heritage Crime

Heritage crime, as defined by Historic England, is any offence which damages or harms the value of Englands. It includes sites or items which are considered to be of historic importance in England.

Heritage sites include:

listed buildings and scheduled monuments

World heritage sites and conservation areas

Registered parks and gardens

Protected marine wreck sites

Undesignated but acknowledged heritage buildings and sites

Registered battlefields and protected military remains of aircraft and vessels of historic interest

This offence may take place indirectly through other crimes; those that are posing the largest threat to heritage sites are –

Criminal damage, vandalism, graffiti and arson

Architectural theft, in particular metal and stone

Unlawful metal detecting – often referred to as ‘Nighthawking’

Anti-social behaviour- in particular fly-tipping and off-road driving

Illicit trade in cultural object

Unauthorised works to a listed building or scheduled monument

Some artefacts and sites areprotected by specific criminaloffences to prevent harm caused bydamage and unlicensed alteration.

However, other crimes such astheft, criminal damage, arson andanti-social behaviour offences canalso damage and harm and interferewith the public’s enjoyment andknowledge of these items.

it is important to protect these sitesand artefacts as once they are gone,we can never get them bacliwexactlyas they were.

Sussex Police are working with partners and agencies such as Historic England to successfullytackle heritage crime in Sussex.

Together we can stop this typeof crime. If you see anything youfeel may be suspicious or out ofplace near a heritage site pleasereport it to us.

If you witness any criminal activity/suspicious behaviour taking place at a heritage site, you should report this to your local police force.

In East Sussex, to help prevent heritage crime and to raise awareness, Sussex Police have designated Heritage Crime Officer’s, including PCSO Daryl Holter who covers Rother District.

Most police forces have a liaison officer who will coordinate issues related to heritage crime in their area. You can contact them via 101 or, wherever there is an immediate danger to life or property and an emergency response is required, via their 999 number.

You should also contact Historic England and/or your Local Authority’s Conservation Department to make them aware of any damage to a designated heritage asset e.g. a listed building or a scheduled monument.

Heritage Watch Schemes are being introduced to allow the public to report and share information on any suspicious/illegal behaviour encountered at heritage sites in their community.